My wife started hunting hogs this year or should I say started shooting a gun this year as well. I started her out on a 222 and she is currently shooting a 243. She has a 100% kill ration with both guns. Going to buy her a rifle of her own. Would like some opinions as to move her to a 308 or leave her with the 243. Only reason to move to 308 would be to give her some room on the shot placements. I have never shot a 308 so I can not know the difference in the recoil. What do you all think?

I have hunted whitetail with both calibers, the .308 is my #1 choice, will likely never use anything else. Light recoil, solid bullet. Smoked a nice 8pt from 85 yards last week, never took a step.

Depends on the 308 as to how much it recoils.
One I have weights about 12 lbs. or so. Feels like a 243, hardly any recoil.
Other is a Model 11 hog hunter 308 (Savage). Very light rifle. This one recoils more but this rifle has a very good recoil pad on it. Came that way.
Had lots of fun with this light weight fun to shoot rifle.
My suggestion is a strap on shotgun pad. This will help on the recoil. Cabella's has them.

If she can hit the hog with 243 and is confident then stick with it.Depending on the rifle a 308 will slap more due to fact it shoots heavier bullet! My dad is not a recoil sensitive person.I have seen him put 3 touching from 22lr up to 375 mag at 100 plus yards....but he hates the rapid recoil from a 308! Stick with the 243 if she likes and hits with it!

I have a .270 and love it. Maybe think about that.

Split the difference and get the best of both worlds with a 7-08.

If she is currently shooting and killing with the 243 why change and also why buy a second. Go with the 308 if you have the bug for a new gun

.308 more energy delivery, more hydrostatic shock, if the shot placement isn't perfect there's more likelyhood of still getting a rapid kill, all this makes for more recoil.

.243 faster projectile, less drop at equavalent yardage to the .308, less affected by wind (when she does get outside 100 yards), less recoil than the .308

If she is good with the .243 stick with it. If you want it to deliver more whoop azz, and you have the twist rate, load it with 100gr. or 105gr. bullets.

I'm also liking the 7mm-08 and it would be a great chambering for her, but you need to decide if you want yet another type of ammo to keep on hand

If you’re looking at the 308, you might want to consider the 7mm-08. It is the same family of case and you can load it down to manage the recoil. I did that for my daughters and son as they moved from .22 cal into deer and hog calibers. As a result, they developed confidence in their skill and do not have a flinching problem.

AS I have both calibers and was in the same boat a couple years ago I went with the .308 for my wife. I shoot a remington VS in a 308 and she loved shooting the gun. It was a heavier gun which eliminated any felt recoil with stepping up to a 168gr. bullet vs a 110gr round. To me there's not much difference in the .243 vs. 308 in felt recoil. If you go with a 308 you can stick her with a lighter load and there won't be much if any felt difference on recoil. My wife has a remington SPS Varmit and is a great gun for less than $600.

The only reason to buy a new gun is I want her to have her own gun. I am only trying to get feedback on calibers. I appreciate you all trying to save my money, but I want to keep her happy,happy,happy,and want to go hunting.

Will she be hunting things larger than deer? If yes I would consider one of the larger ones in the 243 - 308 family. Say the 260, 7mm-08 or 308.

Do not overlook the 7mm-08! Great choice for deer, hogs, and most Texas game.

Sounds like she is confident and successful with the 243. I'd stick with what works.

7-08 or 260. capt david

A .243 isn't going to hurt anyone, regardless of the rifle. A .308, on the other hand, can have a lot of perceived recoil, depending on rifle weight, rifle fit, load, etc. If possible, let her shoot the rifle before you buy it. My wife loves to shoot, but refuses to deal with anything that kicks too much. I have learned not to hand her anything that fits that description.

ETXhiker that is exactly what I am trying to do is not overpower her. I dont want her to loose interest with a gun that kicks like a mule. I am going to check around at some ot the gun dealerships and see if they have different calibers that she could shoot. She will be primarilly hunting hogs from a stand. I should have shared that information earlier, but I thought everone could read my mind I guess. Sorry for the assumption. She is very comfortable with the 243 and can realy drill the shot. If she gets an oppurtunity for the temple or behind the ear. It is lights out. But I was thinking of a little more power for those not so perfect situations or shot options.

What's her farthest possible shot?

I bet it is well within the capabilities of the .243. Don't fix it if it ain't broke! If she's putting them in their earhole with a .243 she's comfortable with that is waaaay more important than having a little more horsepower from a different chambering.

Just stay with the .243 then you don't have to worry about diffferent bullets to buy and carry.

I say let her shoot both and let her decide which gun she wants to shoot. Everyone has their own opinion on what they like, but the only one that counts is hers.

Great choices right there! The .260s a tad bigger but not much more in the recoil dept.

Need one of each! Then you got most everything in US covered. Besides that "Man can't have too many guns".

This^^^^^^^^

The only reason I would move her up in caliber is if she was moving up in the size of game she's after, which is what I did. My wife shoots the 243 but we're going after something a little bigger after seasons over so I bumped her up in caliber. I went with a 7mm08 but the 308 would be just a little better in my opinon, both are soft on the shoulder if it fits her right.